Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham has warned that the upcoming Budget represents a "critical point" for whether her union's members choose to disaffiliate from Labour. The warning comes as Labour's party conference began in Liverpool, with Graham saying it was getting "harder and harder to justify" affiliation with the party.
Graham expressed her members' frustration with the government's approach to industrial policy and workers' rights. "My members are scratching their heads and they're asking, 'how does a Labour Government allow two oil refineries to shut with absolutely no plan? How have we got a net zero plan that has workers at the end of the queue? Where is the plan for workers? Where is the transition? Where is the money?'," she told Sky News.
Budget deadline looms
Asked how long Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) has before Unite makes a decision on disaffiliation, Graham pointed directly to the upcoming Budget. "The Budget is an absolutely critical point of us knowing whether direction is going to change," she said.
Graham called for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to abandon her fiscal rules, arguing that other countries were taking a more flexible approach. "Those fiscal rules need to be changed. Other countries are doing it. We should stop dancing around our handbag and do that," she said, warning that without investment, "nothing is going to change."
Government dismisses concerns
Housing Secretary Steve Reed dismissed suggestions that Unite might withdraw support from Labour. "I don't think Unite will walk," Reed told Sky News, arguing that wages were now rising faster than prices, putting "more money going into Unite members' pockets."
Graham countered that people feel they are "being kicked" and called for Labour to "wake up" and "do Labour things." She showed little interest in the party's deputy leadership contest, saying there was "no point" changing leadership if policies remained the same amid speculation about Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
